Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) authorities get only Tk 200 to provide special foods to patients on Eid day. That too for four meals!
The hospital authorities have a hard time serving food with that amount four times in the day.
The amount is just the same for other religious and national days such as Durga Puja, February 21, March 26 and December 16.
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said that Tk 55 was allotted for each patient in regular days until 2009 when Tk 20 was added. It was increased again in 2013 to Tk 125. However, the hospital authorities subsidised Tk 75 more to make it Tk 200 for food arrangements in special days.
Currently 2047 patients are admitted at DMCH and all of them are served the same special food.
Tk 200 special food menu includes — 5 pieces of bread in the morning, one banana, biscuits, vermicelli, one boiled egg, jelly and milk. At noon, they are served of Polao, chicken roast, chicken curry, egg curry, salad and soft drinks. At night, rice along with chicken, vegetables and pulse are served while tea and biscuits at evening.
When asked how it is possible to serve these foods at such low amount, DMCH Deputy Director (Finance and Store) Dr Bidyut Kanti Paul said that, preparing food a large number of people is doable within a low price.
“Numbers of patients in DMCH are way higher than that of district hospitals of the country. So, the food distributor agent manages some profit even at that price,” he said.